Chapter 52

Gu Jing Yuan paused in his steps and turned around, looking at her in earnest.

Faced with his sincere and clear eyes, she uttered a silent apology in her heart.

Facing her silence, with eyes that seemed impenetrable, Gu Jing Yuan did not rush or press her. He stood there quietly waiting for her to speak.

“Thank you for the gift, I really like them.”

With each thoughtful gesture he made, she felt even more scummy. She was such a selfish and scheming person. How could she ever deserve or be worthy of his sincere affections?

“Go have a good rest, good night.”

In the end, Gu Jing Yuan still could not decipher the emotions fluttering in her eyes.

She suddenly placed up an invisible barrier, making him feel a bit flustered and at a loss on how to break through it.

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Ck Zwl, clkdt vbl xspv eyakdt yxsdt vblx, pyv kd Mys Zk Dk’p lxrvu plyv yde nswze dsv alpkpv ypjkdt, “Jasvbla Zwyd! Fkpvla Zk Dk kp dsv blal ps zlv’p ts vs vbl Rdvladlv nyql vstlvbla! El byhld’v clld vblal kd pwnb y zsdt vkxl.”

Qw Kkdt Zwyd alxykdle wdxshle, “Lsv tskdt.”

Ck Zwl rlpvlale, “Ebu dsv? Rv’p clld y obkzl pkdnl ol rzyule, yald’v usw kvnbkdt vs rzyu?”

Xq nswapl, bl oyp kvnbkdt vs rzyu. Jwv obld bl vbswtbv sq Mys Zk Dk yde Ubld Hl yehydnkdt pkel cu pkel vsoyaep Mpkdtbwy Bdkhlapkvu, bso nswze bl pvkzz cl kd vbl xsse vs rzyu? Tl byvle vbyv bl nswze dsv kxrashl qypvla.

“Qs yoyu, R byhl y nyzz okvb bla yv plhld.”

While phones were not confiscated during the training period, the student’s schedule was so packed that there was hardly any chance to touch their phone. He had called for two days before he finally figured out her break time.

Qi Yue threw a pitiful glance at Gu Jing Yuan’s retreating back. At the entrance of the classroom, he hastily brushed passed Shen Chen Chen.

At 6:58PM.

Tao Yi Xi stood up to return the cutleries. Chen Ze noticed that she had only eaten a few mouthfuls of noodles.

“Are you full already?”

With the intensity of the training, everyone was ravenous after class, and many of them even had two servings of rice.

Tao Yi Xi was hungry too, but she had no appetite. She smiled back at him, “Yes, I’m full.”

Returning the cutleries to the designated collection spot, she took out her phone and saw the time on the screen jump from 6:59PM to 7:00PM. At that very moment, her screen flashed with an incoming call.

As the cafeteria was noisy, she left quickly.

Outside, the sky was overcast, and it looked like it was going to rain heavily. The passing students, who were probably locals, complained about the horrible weather.

“Every time the season changes, it rains every day! Every. Day.! My clothes won’t be drying anytime soon…”

The temperature dropped further and Tao Yi Xi pulled up her coat zipper before answering the phone.

“Hello.”

“Tao Yi Xi, have you eaten?”

“En.”

“What did you eat today?”

“Noodles.”

“Why does your voice sound so raspy?” In just a few words, Gu Jing Yuan keenly sensed her abnormality.

“Is it?” She did not notice.

“Did you bring medicine with you?”

“Yes.”

“I checked, the temperature in the capital will be cooler these two days. Remember to keep warm.” As someone who does not mince his words, he kept chattering until she returned to her accommodation.

“I’ve reached back.”

“Ah okay. Then I’ll call you again tomorrow.” He was sensible to know not to intrude into her study time.

Knowing that she was spending her time studying, Gu Jing Yuan also picked up his textbook and started doing some questions as well. However, his mind kept drifting back to her. He twirled his pen between his fingers, and he could not put his mind at ease.

**

Tao Yi Xi lay on her bed, she could tell that something was not right with her body. Her head felt heavy and her throat seemed a bit itchy.

She closed her eyes, wanting to rest for a while before she got up to take her medicine. Today, she spent too much time on a couple of the math problems. She needed to see if there were other faster solutions to solve those questions… 

Her thoughts drifted further and further away before she gradually fell into a deep slumber.

When morning arrived, her consciousness told her it was time to get up, but her body felt weak, and her head was throbbing.

Through sheer willpower, she got out of bed with much difficulty. But when she took a glance at the time, she immediately grabbed her bag and hurried to class.

Chen Ze was already sitting in the classroom doing some self-study when she arrived. He left a seat next to him for her. He noticed her pallid complexion and asked, “Are you not feeling well?”

Tao Yi Xi shook her head, “I’m fine.”

As soon as she spoke, her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat before continuing, “I burned the midnight oil yesterday.”

“I see,” Chen Ze nodded without thinking too much. Staying up late was a normal occurrence for students like them.

From her appearance, no one could tell that she was not being her normal self. Tao Yi Xi knew that her head felt very stuffy and that she could not concentrate on the teacher’s lecture. Hence, she kept jotting down notes and planned to review them later on in her room.

In the evening, it started raining heavily again. She did not go to the cafeteria with Chen Ze for dinner. Instead, she went straight back to her room.

Her body was drawn to the bed, but her mind kept thinking about the things that the teacher covered in today’s class. 

She seemed to have reached for her bag to retrieve the materials covered in today’s lesson, seated in front of the study table, she tirelessly worked on the questions. 

The phone beside her kept flashing with incoming calls, and this puzzled her. She wondered why he was still calling her at this hour.

As she answered the call, there was no one speaking on the other end. Simultaneously, there was a continuous knocking coming from the door that broke her dazed state.

When she opened her eyes, Tao Yi Xi’s head felt like paste. She vividly remembered sitting at the desk, but somehow she found herself lying on the bed.

The knocking on the door continued, in her weakened state, she was nervous causing her vigilance to skyrocket. She instinctively reached for her phone to call Gu Jing Yuan.

After unlocking her phone, she noticed that she received 37 missed calls; two were from Chen Ze, and the rest were from Gu Jing Yuan.

She returned his call and the persistent knocking on the door ceased.

As the call connected, she softly whispered, “Gu Jing Yuan, someone has been knocking on my door.”

Due to her illness, Tao Yi Xi’s voice was hoarse, softer than usual, sounding like a small, aggrieved kitten. At that moment, all the anxiety, worry, and frustration Gu Jing Yuan felt from not being able to reach her over the phone dissipated.

Helplessly, he replied, “It’s me. I’m the one outside your dorm.”

Stunned, Tao Yi Xi belatedly got up and opened the door. 

The person outside was drenched. Although his hair was no longer dripping, there were puddles of water collecting around his shoes.

The moment Gu Jing Yuan saw her, his suspended heart finally settled. He noticed her extremely pale complexion paired with unusually red cheeks. He was feeling both angry and heartache.

“May I enter?”

“En.”

Tao Yi Xi took two steps back, allowing Gu Jing Yuan to enter. He first glanced at the trash bin, which contained only waste paper.

He asked, “Didn’t you take your medication?”

“I intended to, but then I forgot about it.” She blinked her eyes, and her gaze looked feeble due to her illness. They appeared misty and exceptionally naive, and her expression seemed cute and innocent like a child who was caught making a mistake. It was completely different from her usual self, making it impossible for anyone to have the heart to scold her.

“I’m taking you to the hospital.”

She stubbornly rejected, “I don’t want to go.”

“You’re unwell.”

“Then I’ll eat some medicine, I brought some.” She propped herself up and trudged to her luggage, before landing her butt on the ground. Upon seeing her actions, Gu Jing Yuan jumped up in a panic and reached out to lift her up. Only then did he truly feel her feverish state.

“The floor is cold.” He frowned. He had never stayed in such a small room before, the room was cramped with just the basic facilities, and the floor was not even carpeted. 

“Oh,” Tao Yi Xi responded as she buried her head in the luggage to find the medicine kit.

“I found it!” She looked proudly at him, making his heart soften further.

Gu Jing Yuan sighed. She normally would not make such animated expressions; it was evident that her fever had burned her silly.

“Let’s get you back to bed.”

After supporting her back to bed, Gu Jing Yuan took a packet of medicine from the green pouch and brewed a cup for her. After consuming it, due to the nature of the medication, she quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Gu Jing Yuan sat beside the bed, watching her peaceful sleeping visage. When she furrowed her brows slightly, he could not help but do the same, as if her discomfort was contagious.

He reached out towards her forehead, feeling her temperature, he noticed it was hotter than before. His brows scrunched up more tightly indicating his concern.

Outside, the rainstorm continued raging on with the accompaniment of thunder. Gu Jing Yuan contemplated for a moment and found the key to the room on the desk before leaving.

---

I apologize for the lack of posting recently (for FP, MIE, and EAPWM readers). Honours programme has been, and still is, kicking my butt… So ready to be done but I still have one more year to go… 

On a brighter note, I’m nearly done with the semester, so end November, posting will return to normal (of once a week).

Thank you for your patience and understanding…